Leonard LeBlanc and Marie Riton.


Leonard.

Léonard LeBlanc was born around 1627 in Blessac, Limoges, Marche, the son of Léonard LeBlanc and Jeanne Fayande. As a master mason, his skills were highly sought after in the French colony.

Marie.

Robert Riton and Marguerite Gyon of La Roche-sur-Yon, Luçon, Poitou were the parents of Marie Riton. At age 17 , she gave birth to an enfant naturel on 6 November 1644 as a result of a relationship with Abraham Brunet of La Rochelle. Their daughter, also named Marie, was baptized on the 16th in Ars-en-Ré.

Marie Riton professed her Protestant faith in La Rochelle on 29 June 1645. But her destiny lay across the ocean and the 23 year old arrived in the New World as a Fille à marier in 1650 hoping to find a husband.

Establishing Their Home.

The requisite three banns of marriage were published on the 7th, 10th, and 14th of August. They were "solemnly married" on 23 August 1650 in the house of M. Robert Giffard at Beauport, after the Mass was celebrated at said place.

Giffard controlled a large parcel of land in Beauport that he dubbed "Fargy" (which he came up with by switching the syllables of his last name around). The 1655 census of the village of Fargy illustrates the sizeable allotment LeBlanc received. It was about 4 arpens wide by 56 poles deep in area. The parcel went beyond the highway to the end of the concession. It was bordered on one side by a road running the length of the property. Their nearby neighbors included Toussaint Giroux and our ancestor Pierre Vallée. The community would build a church around 1672.

Our First Ancestor Born in the New World.

Their first-born, and the first of our line born in North America was Marie-Thérèse LeBlanc. She was born 3 May 1651 and baptized in ville de Québec on 29 June 1651. She was followed by six siblings.

Rules to Live By.

Protestantism was discouraged in the colony and those who were not of the Catholic faith jeopardized their property rights. Toward this end Marie was confirmed in Notre-Dame de Québec on 24 February 1660 by Msgr. de Laval, along with 65 others including our ancestor Jean Boutin dit Larose and Jean Baillargeon who would later marry our ancestor Esther Coindriau.

Though the settlers enjoyed a certain amount of liberty in the wilderness there were rules. An ordinance prohibited fishing along the Lauzon coast, though it did not deter Léonard and two others from casting a line in the area. They were reprimanded on 8 November 1664 by the Conseil Souverain.

Recensements.

The couple was still living in Beauport in 1666. Léonard was reported to be 46 and Marie 43. Their children Noël, 13, Marguerite, 9, Marie (Elisabeth), 7, Jeanne, 6, and Françoise, 3, were at home. Daughter Marie-Thér&egse had married at age 14 the previous year and her sister Louise married in 1666 at age 12, the youngest legal age.

The following year, 1667, Léonard and Marie both claimed to be 40. He was a mason and had 16 arpens under cultivation with 3 "bestieux" or farm animals. Their children Noël, 14; Marguerite, 11; Marie (Elisabeth), 10; Jeanne, 7; and Françoise 5 lived at home. Daughter Marie-Thérèse and her husband Pierre Vallée lived next door.

Marie Riton's date of death is uncertain, but occurred between 1672 and 1675. Léonard was recorded twice in the 1681 census, possibly due to the split configuration of his land: Leonard Leblanc, 56, 1 fusil, 9 bestes, 28 arpens// and in Seigneurie de Beaupre: Leonard Leblanc, 53, macon, 1 fusil, 9 bestes á cornes, 1 vache, 30 arpens.

On 6 October 1691 Léonard LeBlanc died in Hôtel-Dieu Québec. He was about 64 years old.